


Above Our Stars

by 8makes1cheese



Series: Ticking Clocks, We Count the Hours [2]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: ...lizards?, Bigotry & Prejudice, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Other, Sequel, Superpowers, fire boy!mingi, jongho is shrouded in mystery, joong is human, necromancer!seonghwa, nothing is graphic dw, san is basically dash from the incredibles lmao, seonghwa's beauty is talked about a lot bcs he's literally stunning lOOK AT HIM, shapeshifter!yunho, undead!yeosang, weird character arcs, wooyoung can do stuff with his voice, you can trust them all..... unless
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:28:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22920250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/8makes1cheese/pseuds/8makes1cheese
Summary: The end of the world is coming.It's coming, and he can do nothing to stop it. They can't hold out much longer."I need one of you to do this." The words hurt. "I... I can't do it alone. I need help.""Send me."It's barely a whisper. He wants to say no. No, I can't let you go. I can't risk losing you."Why?""I have a suspicion. Please, let me go."He lets him go. And he cries inside, though no tears show on his face.The end of the world is coming.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Series: Ticking Clocks, We Count the Hours [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1598215
Comments: 3
Kudos: 63





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hongjoong- human
> 
> Seonghwa- Marked; can raise and control the dead
> 
> Yunho- Marked; can change his shape
> 
> Yeosang: Undead
> 
> San- Marked; can move at the speed of light
> 
> Mingi- Marked; can manipulate and create fire
> 
> Wooyoung- Marked; can move his voice to different locations
> 
> Jongho- you will see :)

He stands on the rooftop in silence. 

The wind is icy, whipping through his hair and clothes, but he doesn't care. The city spreads out below him like a colorful blanket, lights flickering far below him, alive and awake even in the dead of night. A smile spreads across his face. All this will soon be his. 

It feels incredible, the knowledge that he truly has this much power. The city and everything in it will be held in the palm of his hand, completely under his control, by dawn. It's a delicious thought, a beautiful dream, and tonight it comes true. 

"You're mine," he whispers, gleefully, though awed. "You're all mine." 

"If I were you, I'd rethink that statement." 

He rolls his eyes briefly, not bothering to turn. "So you really did come. You are as painfully predictable as ever, old friend." 

"Or maybe you just know me too well." 

"That could be it." He scans the city. There, at last he sees it; one light burning differently from all the rest, the centerpiece of his plan. "But you're too late. You cannot stop me now. Powerful though you may be, you cannot be in more than one place at once, you know." 

The voice behind him is soft. "What makes you believe I'm working alone this time?" 

He turns at last. "Did you come to fight me?" 

"I came to stop a fight." 

"To delay it, you mean." 

"Perhaps. But then again, perhaps not." 

As always, so vague. He chuckles. "You haven't changed. When will you gain courage, my friend? When will you face a fight, instead of running?" 

"I am not strong," his gentle-voiced companion says, stepping a little closer, though his face is still in shadow. "I was never meant to be at the heart of a fight." 

"Because you are a coward." 

"Possibly. But maybe it's because I prefer to strike where no one sees it coming." 

He steps from the shadows at last. After all these years, his face is as beautiful and as sorrowful as ever. He looks like an angel that was dragged across stone streets by a galloping horse. Ethereal, but broken. 

"If I were a coward," he says quietly, "I would not have sought you out. Not knowing what you can do. Call me a fool, but at least have the decency to call me a brave fool, for facing one as-" his tone grows bitter- "powerful as you." 

He feels a smirk grow on his face. "So you admit I am powerful." 

"You always have been," the other man says wearily, "dear friend of mine." 

In a second, he feels the ground sink from under him- no, what he feels is himself rising from the ground, suspended in the air above the city. 

His companion doesn't move. 

"So you would drop me." He laughs. "You really are a fool. You know you cannot kill me." 

"I have no intention of dropping you." 

For the first time, he's taken by surprise. "Is that so." 

"It is. Get comfortable, and if you have any popcorn on you, now would be the time to bring it out. You've just earned yourself a front row seat to the greatest show you'll ever see." 

With that, Park Seonghwa vanishes, back to the shadows from which he emerged. The man hanging in the air scoffs. 

"Silly boy," he murmers, swallowing his rage. "He didn't even say goodbye."


	2. precious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the continuation of an adventure.

"Oh my god, you're alive." 

The words burst from Hongjoong's lips before he can stop them, hardly the calm and collected greeting he'd planned. He flings himself forward, then pulls back abruptly, standing up a little straighter and clearing his throat. "But how? You didn't fight him.... you told me you don't fight." 

"And so I don't." Seonghwa emerges from the shadows and pulls off his dark gloves. "My suspicions were correct, making him ridiculously easy to stop. And yes, I'm alive." 

He speaks coolly and flatly, as always, no emotion, face blank. Seonghwa is a master of hiding what he feels, especially in the midst of a situation like this. 

"I don't understand," Jongho speaks up. 

Seonghwa turns to face him. For a moment, his eyes glint fiercely. "He's undead, Jongho. Now you know why I had to be the one to go." 

"Undead?" Mingi whispers. "I thought Yeosang was the only one..." 

Seonghwa laughs softly. "Oh, no." 

He doesn't elaborate. 

"Phase one of the plan is complete," Hongjoong says, "simple. Phase two is slightly more difficult. I need you, Jongho, and I need Seonghwa. Mingi, you stay here." 

"You haven't let me-" 

"Mingi." 

Quietly, the fire wielder says, "Okay." 

Hongjoong feels sorry for him, but it would destroy their plan and cause all their deaths if he were to let Mingi come with them. 

Seonghwa's face is set as always, beautiful features unreadable. "Let's not waste time." 

"Follow me," Hongjoong says stiffly, and they exit the garage they've been hiding in. 

As they stride away, Seonghwa splits off from the group, disappearing down an alleyway. Jongho grabs a rope and begins scaling the wall of a seemingly empty building. As for Hongjoong, he keeps walking, forcing himself not to look back at them, not to worry. 

And in the darkness of a web of rooms and tunnels directly under the heart of the city, a pair of beautiful, disturbing eyes shine in the darkness, like miniature beacons through a cloudy night as the undead creeps closer and closer to the center of the lab and his target. 

...

San's face hurts. 

The right side has been pressed against sharp metal for the past hour as he creeps along the pipe face down. Bloody cuts have been ripped into his cheek and his dimple was stabbed by a rock. He would have given up long ago if not for Wooyoung before him. 

"How much farther?" He whispers. 

"I see a light." Wooyoung's voice is strained, barely audible. "We're close." 

"Thank the gods." 

They move along in silence, Wooyoung in the lead, San following. The pipe is barely big enough for them. San has never been claustrophobic, but he can't wait to get far away from here. 

At last, the pipe ends and they emerge in a dimly lit, empty room. At one end is a door, barred, but unlocked. Wooyoung steps up and boldly unbars it. 

"Are you ready?" 

"I'm not ready," San says softly. 

"Choi San," Wooyoung says, taking his hand. He reaches up to dab the blood off San's cheek with his sleeve, eyes full of sadness. "Are you ready?" 

San kisses the palm of Wooyoung's hand, letting his lips linger just a moment too long. "I'm ready." 

"Then let's go." 

Hand in hand, they climb the steps to the door. Wooyoung opens it to pitch blackness, but they don't hesitate for a second. Holding each other close, they leap courageously forward and find themselves falling.


	3. illusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> double update :D warnings come into use in this chapter

Seonghwa doesn't make it far. 

The ground of the alley is hard, but he doesn't even notice, too focused on the plan to care. If this goes wrong, if even one of them messes up, it could not only cost an innocent man his life, but also doom an entire race to unspeakable horrors. Seonghwa closes his eyes as he runs. It's not like he needs them open; he knows this area of the city like the back of his hand. 

He tries not to think about Hongjoong. He can't help worrying, though. Hongjoong is a human, the only one among them, and though he knows how to fight, he's not as strong as the others are. He also doesn't know the city at all. Seonghwa swallows and keeps running. 

"Stop." 

His eyes fly open. He veers aside just in time to avoid crashing into the man standing like a stone statue in the middle of the alley. 

"You again." The man's voice is horribly familiar. "I didn't think you'd lived." He chuckles. "How foolish they must have been to send you." 

"Don't," Seonghwa begs. All the air leaves his lungs; he knows this man, too well, and he had prayed he'd never be cursed to see him again. He tries to run away, but he can't even remember how to move. "Don't touch me." 

"You finally reunite with a long-lost relative again after all these years, and that's the first thing you say? You were closer to me than anyone else, Hwa. You know me. You should be glad to see me." 

"I hated you," Seonghwa whispers. "I still hate you." 

"Idiot." 

He winces. "And don't you dare speak my name. You don't have that right." 

"So it's a right now. Calling you by a nickname I used first is a right." His voice grates on Seonghwa's ears. He has to get out of here. 

"Hwa-" he can barely force it out- "is not my nickname. It was your- your pet name for me. Say it again and I'll destroy you." 

"That's far too violent, don't you think? Besides, you cannot do anything. You are weak." 

Seonghwa wraps his arms around himself. 

"Miserable." 

He closes his eyes. 

"Pathetic." 

He chokes down a sob. "Go away." 

The city at night was full of sounds when he started his run down the alley; now, it seems horribly, deafeningly silent, only the sound of his own breathing breaking the chilling quiet. Seonghwa opens his eyes slowly, forcing himself to stand up straight. He can do this. He can. 

"I am not weak."

He stares at the wall before him, counting the bricks in hopes of calming his agitated mind. "You don't know me at all. I have the Mark. I have more power than you could ever dream of." 

He hears a low hissing sound, and for a brief moment he feels triumph explode in his chest. Then he realizes the hissing is laughter. 

"I have seen you at your weakest, Hwa, countless times. I've seen you on your knees, pleading, begging, crying rivers of diamond tears from terrified eyes. I've seen you as no one else has. I may not be Marked, I may lack the- ah- power you hold, but I have the upper hand. You are weak. I am not." 

Seonghwa whirls on him, ready to pound him to a pulp, but one touch of the man's clammy hand turns his legs to jelly. 

"Feel it again, my Torch," the man whispers. "Savor the bitter taste of helplessness once more. You clearly cannot remember alone, so I will help you. I give you this reminder." His face gets closer to Seonghwa's, and he hasn't changed at all. His breath still reeks of the cigarettes he smoked daily. "You. Are. Nothing." 

He shoves Seonghwa away. His head strikes solid pavement, and the world goes dark. 

...

Seonghwa wakes up in a warm bed. 

He opens his eyes slowly, expecting to feel pain shoot through his head, but he feels nothing. He turns his head. His body is strangely stiff. 

He tries to sit up, and his entire body cries out with pain. 

And then he realizes. 

It all comes back in a rush, this room, this bed, waking up with tears dried on his cheeks and his whole body in so much pain that he just wants to end it all. He feels horror rising from the very depths of his soul. 

He tries to scream, but his throat is hoarse and sore. 

"You are nothing," Inseong's voice hisses in his ear. 

He's not really here. It's an illusion, a memory of a past he escaped long ago. He tells himself to breathe, summons all his strength, and reaches for the wall. If he can touch it, he can pull himself back. 

"Nothing." 

He tries harder, swallowing his terror, forcing himself to ignore the pain. Illusions aren't supposed to hurt this much...

"Nothing." 

His fingertips brush cold stone, and the room falls away. The pain fades, and he finds himself alone in the alley, dawn breaking across the sky. 

He's too late. 

Hongjoong is dead. They're all dead. There's no way they could possibly have succeeded. He's failed Hongjoong, he's failed them all. 

The entire race of the Marked are doomed forever, all because of his weakness. 

And at last, he lets go and sobs, cries like he never has before. The city noises are steady around him once again, the stones cold, the ground solid and rocky. He lets the tears pour down his cheeks until his eyes hurt, lets himself sob until his throat feels like it's been ripped by demons; after all, who will hear him? Does it even matter anyway? He's lost, he's lost it all. He's a failure. 

Inseong was right. Seonghwa is weak. He's miserable, he's pathetic. He is nothing. Nothing but a disgrace of a human, a loser of a friend. 

He lets a scream tear itself out of his throat, slamming his fist against the wall. It sends shivers of pain through his hand and arm, which only serves to infuriate him. He glares at the blood dripping down his hand like it's committed some terrible offense. 

Then he gets to his feets and staggers away, back towards the river and their boat, feeling empty. 

There's nothing more he can do now. 

...

Jongho arrives exactly on time. 

He isn't exactly quiet about his arrival, but this phase was never intended to be executed stealthily. He slams a few heads with his fist, breaks down a door or two, and heads for the kitchen, the headquarters of the gang he's after. 

The door is already open, which Jongho thinks is a bit suspicious, but he slips through anyway. 

"I've been waiting." 

He smirks. "It's been a while, Captain." 

The captain sits cross-legged on the kitchen counter, holding a jar of canned peaches. A mask covers the figure's face, a hood hiding the hair and ears. The captain is slim, but muscular. Jongho bows mockingly. 

"Jongho." The captain's voice is distasteful. "Brother of my warrior Yerim. Wonderful woman. Very mysterious, though... my best hacker. Why are you here? You know your kind are not allowed in our quarters. I should just kill you now." 

"Try it, I ask you. Please." 

The captain raises a gun. Jongho doesn't move. 

"Brave." The gun is aimed carefully. "Even in the face of death. What trick do you have up your sleeve?" 

"No tricks." 

The bullet is fired silently. It hits the ground with a click. The captain flinches. 

"It- it rebounded." The voice is full of awe. "It bounced off of you. Who are you really, Choi Jongho? What are you?" 

"That is not for me to say at the moment. I need your help." 

He explains the situation quickly. The captain nods. 

"I see. I will call my warriors... my closest warriors. I hope you did not kill any of them." 

"I killed no one." Jongho bows again, without the mockery this time. "I'll be on my way now. And a thousand thanks to you, Lady Haseul." 

...

Hongjoong fidgets nervously. 

He got the weapons as planned, killing one or two guards in the process. He felt bad at first- they were humans just like him, after all. But they were not like him at all, really; they chose a path of hatred and cruelty, they sealed their own fate. 

Yeosang's tunnel was the perfect entrance. Hongjoong had no trouble finding his way inside. As soon as he was on solid ground under the city, he reunited with the undead boy, who helped him steal the weapons. 

Jongho arrived moments later with the Captain and ten masked warriors behind him, smiling oddly. He ripped the door from its hinges and led them inside. No one was guarding the doors. 

Now they just need Seonghwa with the code, so Yeosang can mix the antidote and free their captive friend. 

"He's late." Hongjoong looks up in worry. "Seonghwa is never late." 

"So he was held up." Jongho looks like he's trying not to seem worried. "He'll get here. Trust him." 

But when an hour passes and there's no sign of Seonghwa, even Jongho begins give up. 

"We can't do it," Hongjoong says sadly. "Not without him. But this can't happen- it can't- we only have fifteen minutes left to stop it!" Tears begin to well up in his eyes. 

Fourteen minutes. Thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten. The Captain paces, warriors standing still and silent. 

"Nine more minutes," Yeosang says, and his voice is devoid of all hope. 

And then the whole room explodes. 

The door bursts from its hinges, the walls crumbling to bits. Orange and yellow flames lick at every surface, dacing a murderous dance all around them. A slow smile spreads over Yeosang's face, but Hongjoong feels only horror. 

"Mingi!" He shrieks. "Mingi, stop! Go back!" 

The fire wielder stands tall and firm in the doorway behind them, eyes narrow and fierce, jaw set. He looks terrifying, like a demon straight out of a nightmare, flames curling all around him. 

Not around him, Hongjoong realizes. On him. 

Mingi's entire body is ablaze. Every inch of his skin is covered in fire, radiating heat, smoke rising from his clothes. He stands amidst it unharmed, and Hongjoong's heart aches when he sees the gloves on Mingi's hands. He once promised Hongjoong that he would never remove them without permission. He's kept his promise even now. 

Hongjoong turns to see no sign of Yeosang. Jongho, the Captain, and the masked warriors are engaged in a fierce battle with the guards. A warrior falls, but before the guard can rip away the mask, the Captain drives a knife into his heart. Hongjoong gulps. He knows who not to make an enemy of now. 

Hongjoong can't bear to watch Jongho. Some of the things he's doing to the guards could make a strong grown soldier sick to the stomach. 

A guard spots him. He tries to run, but the hallway is blocked by Mingi, fighting away the advancing guards with his flames. Hongjoong reaches for a weapon only to realize they're across the room from him. He closes his eyes and prepares for death. 

It doesn't come. 

He opens his eyes to see two figures, hand in hand, mere silhouettes against the blaze. One holds a pistol, the other a dagger. The guard lies fallen at their feet. 

San and Wooyoung. 

Hongjoong just has time to smile before he passes out on the floor.


	4. answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dawn.

Seonghwa drags himself to the boat in tears. 

The sky is painted a vibrant mix of orange, pink and gold. Puffy white clouds sail overhead, a slight breeze rustling the leaves of the trees. The manufactured, fake, contaminated trees. Seonghwa hates this city. Its beauty is all a lie. 

He sinks to the ground by the boat, letting his head rest on the hard-packed dirt. His eyelids flutter shut. He feels worse than he ever has in his life. 

Seonghwa has been hurt before, and he has hurt others before. But this is a whole new level of pain.

Hongjoong's face appears in his mind, bright-eyed and smiling. Hongjoong on their first date, before the asylum. Hongjoong holding Seonghwa in his arms, listening while he tells what was once his greatest secret, assuring him that his power is a gift and not a curse. Hongjoong's gentle "I love you," every day without fail, for the eight horrible years Seonghwa spent in that cell. Hongjoong saving his life, Hongjoong...

Mingi, a little awkward and clumsy, but with a heart of gold. Yeosang, silent and eerie, but a sweetheart once you got to know him. Jongho, tough and mysterious, the baby of the group. Yunho, captured and chained in a lab under the city as the guinea pig for a horrific experiment...

He's failed them all. But what is there for him to do, except keep going? 

Seonghwa rises to his feet again. 

He sees a figure approaching, just a silhouette in the distance. He shudders, fearing it to be Inseong, but this person is not built like him; they're smaller, more delicate, but not in a weak way. Seonghwa does a double take. 

No way. It isn't possible. 

He jerks forward before he can stop himself, and then he's running, nothing on his mind except Hongjoong, that he really is alive. The smaller man moves slowly, and when Seonghwa reaches him, out of breath, his vision blurred by tears, Hongjoong holds out a hand- not as a welcoming gesture, but to keep him back, at arm's length. 

"Joong?" 

"Seonghwa." 

His voice is bitter. 

"Are you real?" Seonghwa whispers. "Alive?" 

"No thanks to you." Hongjoong crosses his arms. "Where the fuck were you? We almost died, Seonghwa! All of us!" 

"All- everyone's alive?" 

He bursts into tears, unable to hold back sobs. "Oh my god, Joong, I'm so sorry." 

"Sorry doesn't cut it! You didn't bring the code and we almost got killed by our own friend! They were so close, Seonghwa. Horribly close to succeeding the experiment on Yunho. They would have turned him into an unstoppable killing machine, and we would all have been slaughtered. I'll ask again, where the fuck were you?" 

"Sleeping." Seonghwa can't tell the truth. He can't ever let Hongjoong know that he's this weak, can't bear to hear the words he's heard too many times from his mouth as well. He closes his eyes. 

"Sleeping?" Hongjoong's voice cracks. "You nearly doomed a whole race to a fate like that because you got tired?" 

He cups Seonghwa's face aggressively. "You're not telling the truth. What are you not telling me?" 

"Inseong." It's all he can get out. 

Hongjoong lets go immediately. "I-" 

His eyes are wide with horror. "Seonghwa, Inseong is dead." 

"No," Seonghwa rasps, choking on his tears. "No, he isn't." 

"What?" 

"I raised him." Seonghwa stares at the ground. "I lost control and I raised him, and I couldn't send him back... I should have been able to control him, Joong, but he... I don't even know what he did, but when I woke up it was morning, and oh my god I thought you were dead, I thought you were dead...." His voice trails off into bitter crying. 

"I'll rip him to pieces," Hongjoong hisses. "I'll track him down and I will tear him apart." He strokes Seonghwa's cheek, gently this time. "I should have trusted you. I should have known something went wrong, but I..." He stops. "I felt so much anger, Seonghwa, and I couldn't even figure out why. I've never felt that before. Something was so wrong..." 

He cradles Seonghwa against his chest and falls quiet. 

The others find them like that, and move past in silence. No one knows what to say. 

They leave the city an hour later, deathly quiet.


	5. horizon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rain.

The sound of raindrops on the car nearly lulls Hongjoong to sleep. 

He's sandwiched into the backseat between a sleeping Seonghwa and a very groggy Jongho, watching the raindrops slide down the windows. The street lamps are on, casting warm light over the road before them, reflections faintly visible in the miniature rivers running down the streets. It's almost dark, and Hongjoong is incredibly tired. It's been one hell of a day. 

He still can't shake the cold feeling in his chest that's been there ever since he lashed out at Seonghwa. Never in his whole life, in all the years they've known each other, has Hongjoong ever lost his temper at the elder; something was truly wrong with him, and it's terrifying that he can't figure out what. 

In the middle seat, San, Mingi and Wooyoung are sound asleep as well. It's a relief to Hongjoong; he saw how stressed and tired they were after the mission, though it was successful. Yunho is driving, Yeosang seated in silence at his side. 

In front of them lumbers the van of the Captain and the ten masked warriors. Hongjoong wishes he knew more about them, besides that Jongho trusts them. 

He turns to look at Seonghwa. The taller's head rests on his arm, eyes closed, hair falling gently across his forehead. Hongjoong softly brushes it out of his eyes and presses a kiss to Seonghwa's temple. 

He looks beautiful, even in sleep. Maybe more so. Awake, it's hard not to notice the sadness in his eyes, but now when he's resting he looks peaceful. Hongjoong smiles shakily. His heart aches with love, and he wonders if a day will ever come when he can hold, love and kiss Seonghwa again. 

The sun sinks below the horizon. Hongjoong leans his head against the other man's shoulder and drifts off to sleep. 

...

"Agent G." 

"Yes, Captain." 

The van is noisy, full of chatting and laughter, the quiet exchange audible only to the two included. "You saw what happened back at the lab. Hee- Agent H1 was nearly unmasked. Do you know what that would do to us? We would be exposed, vulnerable. It cannot happen again." 

"Agent H1 will rest, my Captain. And in the future, we will be more careful." 

The Captain's voice drops even softer. "I trust you. All of you. I trust that our secret is safe." 

"Of course, my Captain." 

"Thank you, Gowon." 

"You are very welcome, Lady Haseul." 

...

When Mingi wakes up, he looks for Yunho first. 

The puppy-eyed man is the only person left awake in the van. Even Yeosang has slipped into his version of sleep- not true sleep, but a way of shutting off everything around him. They're driving down a street lit by lamps, and it's dark. Mingi clears his throat. 

"I've missed you." 

Yunho doesn't hesitate to respond, "I missed you too." 

"Have you.... sorted things out yet?" Mingi fidgets. A little over a month ago, Yunho left with San and Wooyoung, announcing to Mingi that he needed time to figure out what he was feeling. That was the last time Mingi saw him before last night. 

"I like you," Yunho says simply. "A lot." 

Mingi didn't expect anything this straightforward. He coughs. "Um. I like you, too." 

Yunho laughs softly. "This is where we'd kiss or something, if I wasn't driving." 

Kiss? 

"Are you blushing?" 

"Maybe," Mingi admits, and they both dissolve into hushed laughter. 

The moon bathes the streets ahead of them in light, and Mingi feels as though a new era has begun.


	6. better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...

Morning brings a fresh start. 

The Captain provides lodging and food for them, apologizing for being unable to supply clothes. Hongjoong assures their host that it's all right, and expresses his deep thanks. They retire to their rooms. 

Hongjoong takes a shower, washing away the ash, dirt and blood from two nights ago. He needs rest, uninterrupted sleep in a real bed. He slips back into the room dressed only in a towel wrapped around his hips. 

Seonghwa is curled up on the bed, a book in his hand. 

Hongjoong squeaks, attempting to cover his chest with his arms, and Seonghwa looks up. Tiredly, he says "I guess the Captain didn't tell you some of us have roomates." 

"Mhm," is all Hongjoong can get out. 

Seonghwa's usually perfect hair is messy, and instead of the coat and blouse he usually wears or the loose, ugly clothes he wore at the asylum, he's dressed in a soft white sweater with sleeves just slightly too long and a pair of black skinny jeans. He looks breathtaking, more so than Hongjoong has seen him in a long time. It reminds him of before, and a lump rises in his throat. 

"You can maybe get dressed now?" Seonghwa suggests. 

"Right." Hongjoong slips into the closet and returns in his somewhat rumpled extra clothes set. "Where did you get that outfit?" 

"Jongho." Seonghwa stretches. "I get the feeling he spends... more time than we realized here." 

Hongjoong sinks onto the bed and pulls the covers up over him. "I hope we're right to trust the Captain and his warriors." 

Seonghwa looks like he has something to say, but he remains silent. 

And Hongjoong breaks. 

"Gods, I've missed you so much," he whispers, feeling tears falling steadily down his cheeks. A sob rises in his throat. "Eight years not being able to spend time with you, eight years watching you suffer... it almost killed me. I always knew I needed you, but I never realized how much...." 

Dimly, a small piece of his consciousness registers part of the title of the book Seonghwa is reading, something about new beginnings. 

"Do you still care about me?" The words are out before he can stop them. Seonghwa looks up slowly and meets his eyes. 

"Of course," he answers softly. "Always." 

"Because I-" he's cut off by Seonghwa kissing him. 

Hongjoong feels like he's floating away. He hasn't kissed Seonghwa in so long, and gods, it hasn't lost its magic; the other still holds him as gently as ever, his lips are still soft, he's still comfortingly warm. Hongjoong's heart aches. Seonghwa tastes like hope to him, like happiness. Seonghwa is his happiness. 

Hongjoong reaches up to cup Seonghwa's face between his hands, deepening their kiss. The world around him ceases to exist, no noise, no fear, no pain. There's only Seonghwa, in his arms, kissing him. Hongjoong feels tears on the other man's cheeks. 

He wonders vaguely why Seonghwa is crying. It occurs to him then that he is too. 

Outside the window, the rain begins to fall again. 

...

Jongho isn't afraid of thunder. 

But the rumbling in the distance feels like a threat, vicous and harsh. Like a reminder that he's exactly what his crew is working so hard, risking their lives to destroy. That he is and will always be a monster. 

He hugs his knees to his chest and stares out the window. The rain is falling in torrents. 

"Tired?" 

He looks up and manages a smile. "Not too bad." 

Yeosang takes a seat on the couch next to him. "To some people, storms are depressing. But I love them." His voice grows sad. "Then again, I am not like most people." 

Jongho has often wondered if it bothers Yeosang that he's, well, dead. This seems to be his answer. 

"You're special, then," he answers. 

"I am cursed." Yeosang looks heartbroken. His eyes are teary. It pierces Jongho's heart. "I can never be normal again." 

"Can I trust you?" 

Yeosang blinks. "Of course." 

Jongho takes a deep breath and shows Yeosang his mark. "I try to fight it, every day. I spend all my time fighting its control. Yet someday, I know I'll have to give in to it." 

Yeosang looks up and makes eye contact. "Does it hurt?" 

"Horribly." Jongho laughs without humor. "It burns. Some days I want to scream, others I want to hand one of you a gun and have you put a bullet through my head. I hate it. But if I give in, it'll be even worse. Oh-"

He falls abruptly silent as Yeosang hugs him. 

"Thanks," he murmers awkwardly. As if by instinct, he wraps his arms around the other man. 

Yeosang pulls away, and he's smiling. Jongho feels dizzy. Yeosang is so beautiful, so perfect it hurts. "You're welcome?" 

Jongho smiles back. He feels better. 

The mark doesn't burn quite so badly now.


	7. stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> love

Yunho leans back against the wall. 

All around him, rain is falling, running in torrents over the ground, dripping off the roofs of the buildings. The clouds are as dark as ash, lightning strikes flashing threateningly on and off among them. It doesn't bother Yunho now. He watches silently. 

He hears foosteps and turns to see Mingi, hair messed by the wind, hugging himself and glancing around with a slightly nervous look on his face. "Why are you outside?" 

"Thinking," Yunho says simply. 

Mingi stares up at the clouds. "The sky god is crying angry tears today." 

Yunho nods slowly. "Anger... perhaps at those who tried to hurt us." 

"Tried to hurt you," Mingi says softly. 

Yunho doesn't respond. Lightning flashes across the sky again. 

Mingi takes a deep breath and steps out of the shelter of the roof. His face is calm, but his eyes are dancing. 

He extends a hand. "Join me?" 

They both giggle. Yunho steps out into the pouring rain and breathes in the taste of fresh air and hope, then cups Mingi's face between both hands and kisses him. 

The storm seems to fade around them. This, Yunho thinks, is paradise. 

...

Hongjoong is still awake. 

He's tossed and turned, trying everything he can think of to get to sleep, to get some rest, but his brain is too wide awake. It's dark in the room, warm, and the bed is comfortable, but sleep seems far away. Even with Seonghwa's arms around him, soft lips pressed against his shoulder, he stays awake. 

"Joong." 

He freezes. He hadn't realized Seonghwa was awake too. 

"Is everything all right?" 

Hongjoong sits up slowly. Tears prick at his eyes. "Do you remember the first time I touched you?" 

Seonghwa's breath catches. "I do." 

"By the creek, when we were on the run. You thought I had gone away and left you. I promised I never would, and you held my hand." 

Seonghwa's voice sounds strained, like he's forcing down a sob. "I remember." 

"We were idiots," Hongjoong whispers. "Fools. Stupid kids in love. If I could go back, if I had the chance to redo every mistake I've made," he hears Seonghwa inhale, "I wouldn't. I wouldn't do it. I'd still commit those crimes, still run away, still meet you, fall for you, help you. Let you help me. I don't care if it's stupid, I don't care if we're stupid. I love you." 

Seonghwa is silent for so long that Hongjoong begins to think he's gone back to sleep. 

"I know what you're saying," Seonghwa says at last, then corrects himself. "Asking." He exhales slowly. "I love you too. And I wouldn't change anything either, not of the things I did, mistakes I made. They led me to you, the best thing that ever happened to me." He pauses. Hongjoong closes his eyes. "It's been a long time, Hongjoong. A very long time. And soon... soon, I might say yes. But not now." 

Hongjoong swallows. "Okay." 

He feels Seonghwa's hand on his cheek, roughened by time but still warm and comforting. "I told you I saw Inseong, but I didn't explain." 

Oh. 

"He did... something to me. I didn't know it was possible, even for the risen dead. He just touched my forehead, and all of a sudden I found myself flying backward into the wall... and when I woke up, Joong, I was back in the room it all happened in." 

Hongjoong gasps sharply. He reaches out and pulls Seonghwa into his arms, holding him close. "You were dreaming? Because of him?" 

"It wasn't a dream." Seonghwa's voice is choked. "It was an illusion, a terrifyingly realistic one. I pulled myself out within minutes, but not before I felt all the pain again..." he pauses. Hongjoong feels a cool wetness against his chest; Seonghwa's tears. "When I woke up, it was dawn, and I thought I had lost you forever." 

Hongjoong murmurs "I love you," not even knowing what else to say. He doesn't think Seonghwa hears, which is why he's startled when the other responds softly "I love you more." 

"I yelled at you," Hongjoong says quietly. "I was mean to you. I don't know what came over me, I felt so cold suddenly..." 

Through the darkness, he hears Seonghwa's worried sigh. The softness of a gentle kiss is pressed to Hongjoong's lips. 

He kisses back with all his heart and soul, praying to the gods- if they even care- that Seonghwa will be all right. That's all that matters now. Seonghwa kisses like heaven and he tastes of ash and hidden sorrows, and Hongjoong loves him so much it hurts. 

In the darkness that they all are slowly pushing out of, Seonghwa shines more brightly than any star.


	8. my way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...

Seonghwa leans his forehead against the cool glass, watching the rain outside. 

He can't get Hongjoong off his mind. Specifically, what Hongjoong said before, and how he acted. He feels sorry, so sorry for his reaction; his first response was not "I love you too," but "I know what you're saying." He closes his eyes and murmers a silent apology. 

"Everything all right?" Hongjoong asks softly. 

Seonghwa turns to look at him and inhales deeply. "You know.... what you asked yesterday. Implied, I mean. I-"

Hongjoong nods slowly. "Yes." 

"I'm sorry," Seonghwa blurts out. "I'm sorry for my rude response. I'm sorry that I can't give it to you yet... that I may never be able to. I'm so sorry for everything, I'm sorry..." 

He feels tears threatening to spill from his eyes, but he doesn't turn his face away. He trusts Hongjoong. He's not afraid to cry. 

"Seonghwa," Hongjoong says gently. "Can I touch you?" 

He nods silently. Hongjoong cups his cheeks gently and tilts his face so that their eyes meet. 

"I would never," Hongjoong whispers, "never tell you how much you mean to me, how precious you are, and how much I love you, for my own benefit. I would never try to guilt trip or force you into anything. If I tell you these things, it is only because I mean them. I love you, and I trust you. 

"And you have nothing to be sorry for," Hongjoong continues, softly but firmly. "If I ever imply, even in the slightest, that I love you less because I can't sleep with you, slap me in the fucking face, got it?" Seonghwa's lips quirk slightly. He mumbles, "I wouldn't slap you."

Hongjoong brushes a strand of hair off Seonghwa's forehead. "And you were not rude. You were nervous. I understand; you had- you have every right to be. Until I know you can comfortably trust me, I will not raise the question again." He kisses Seonghwa's temple softly, almost reverently, and murmers against his skin, "I love you." 

Seonghwa reaches up to grip onto Hongjoong's wrists loosely. It's calming, soothing to have him here. He responds in a low voice, "I love you too." He lets his eyelids fall shut. "And I do trust you. I think- I think at this point, it's more a matter of whether I trust myself."

Hongjoong doesn't answer, but Seonghwa senses that he understands. 

...

When Yeosang was a child, he had a pet. 

A lizard, a small, scaly green creature named Annabelle, because baby Yeosang had loved that name. Annabelle ended up getting crushed. Yeosang's heart was crushed more. 

Annabelle was the first thing Yeosang found cute. Now, seated on the windowsill watching Jongho buzz around the room singing and smiling brightly, he thinks he can finally add to the list. 

Jongho is incredibly brave. The mark he bears is unlike any belonging to the others, and it burns into him daily, making him suffer beyond belief. Yet here he is smiling and belting out notes like it's the easiest thing in the world, as if the brand seared into his skin isn't tearing him to pieces bit by bit, a little more with every second. 

Yeosang's smile drops as he realizes something. Both Annabelle and Jongho, two of Yeosang's favorite things, suffered and were destined to meet a painful end. Jongho's, however, is far deeper than simple pain; if only it were that easy, Yeosang thinks. Jongho would rest easier if he could go out like a normal person; but the death written in his book of fate is far, far darker. 

How, Yeosang marvels, does he do it? 

How does he keep his positive energy, his sunny smile and glorious voice? How can he bear to get up in the mornings, how does he manage to rest at night? How can he still appreciate beauty and ache when his loved ones are hurting, when all along he suffers from something so horrible, none of them can even begin to comprehend it? 

Yeosang licks his lips and says softly, "you're incredible." 

Jongho pauses in his singing. "What?" 

"I said-" Yeosang clears his throat awkwardly and speaks louder. "You're incredible." 

Jongho's smile makes every light in the universe look dim.


	9. declaration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> no more secrets.

Yeosang doesn't remember dying. 

He remembers drawing in a sharp breath and thinking hazily that it was the end. He remembers being dead, floating aimlessly through a sea of blackness with no control over his body.... or no body to control. He remembers the afterlife, cold and dull, time passing at a rate that made his head spin. Had it been ten minutes or a thousand years? He had no way of knowing. 

He remembers the stories. A shivering spirit in a pale dress describing necromancers, the first of a mutant race called the Marked, deadly and horrible. She described them as monsters, demons, creatures full of bloodlust, lacking any form of empathy. They could raise the dead and control their every move, she said. Some of them could suck away a human's soul. 

He remembers the tugging in his gut, the feeling of floating again, then suddenly being plunged into darkness and feeling horribly heavy, as though he were swimming through mud. Them he was kneeling on a hill with wind whipping his hair, solid, human, alive. He felt chilled to the bone. A necromancer had called for him; a monster had raised him from his rest. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

Then he had turned around. 

Never for the rest of his existence would Yeosang forget that moment. He registered pale, smooth skin and dark hair, a slender figure standing still with both hands raised as though praying. His tears were diamonds, catching the faint light and sparkling like a constellation on his face- his ethereal, beautiful, otherwordly face. He wasn't human. He couldn't be. 

A warped voice spoke in Yeosang's mind, and he went numb. When his brain cleared he was still on the hill, on his knees now, blood staining his hand. He felt sick. So the man with stars for tears was the one who had raised him- a demon. A monster. An abomination. 

Satan was once an angel, Yeosang reminded himself. Beauty could be a mask for all forms of cruelty. 

And then the man opened his eyes, and Yeosang's stomach lurched. He felt as though he might be sick. Those eyes were horrible, truly horrible- horrible in their humanity, in the raw anguish they carried, the cold aura of pain seeping through him, under his skin and down to his bones. This man was suffering. 

The pale ghost had been right; the necromancer was a monster. He was consumed by his own fear, and it was destroying him from the inside out. 

..

Yeosang puts his head in his hands. Even now, knowing Seonghwa's gentleness and caring nature, he hasn't changed his mind. Seonghwa is an abomination; but an abomination of the very best kind. 

Yeosang rises slowly to his feet. He's still readjusting to being human. He watches the trees sway in the wind and sighs. Normal went out the window for all of them a long time ago. 

...

Hongjoong curses at the blank wall before him. 

"Joong," Yunho says warningly. 

"Inseong is out there." Hongjoong speaks through gritted teeth. "We'll never succeed in stopping bluesky if we don't eliminate him first. He's the one and only thing in this universe that can affect my- can affect Seonghwa like that. Not to mention he's a fucking asshole." 

"Language," Yunho says mildly. "I understand. But Joong, how do you expect us to do that? He's undead. He can do things no human, even a Marked human, can do. We might search the city up and down for the rest of our lives and never find him." 

"Then we'll set a trap." Hongjoong sighs. "Find something to lure him in, trick him, so we can remove him from the equation." 

"Joong," Yunho says softly. "Are you really not seeing the issue here?" 

Hongjoong blinks at him.

Yunho speaks quietly, his tone respectful but firm. "There's only one thing that we could use to lure him in, Hongjoong. Only one, and that's-" 

"No." Hongjoong slams his fists on the table. "Absolutely not. I'd rather die. We are not going to put Seonghwa through that, even for his own sake." He narrows his eyes. "And don't you ever call him a 'thing' again." 

Yunho sighs. "That's what I've been saying, Joong. It won't work because we can't do that to Seonghwa. For now, we need to focus on bluesky." 

"Focus on what?" 

Hongjoong freezes. Yunho's eyes go comically round. 

"Mingi," he says, his voice two tones higher than usual. "What are you doing awake?" 

"I had a nightmare." Mingi's lip trembles, and yet again Hongjoong is overcome with the urge to protect him. "I heard you talking. What's bluesky? Why are you focusing on it?" 

"It's um," Yunho stops. He looks at Hongjoong cautiously. "Joong, he should know." 

"No." 

"Hongjoong." 

"I agree with Yunho." Mingi straightens his shoulders. "I should know. What's bluesky? What was in that lab? What was about to happen to Yunho? Who were those guards? What are you not telling me, and why?" His voice breaks on the last word. 

Hongjoong closes his eyes.

"Bluesky," he says quietly, "is an organization created by several governments, a chain all over the world of scientists. Their goal is to mutate the Marked further, to warp your brains into their machines, to use you as weapons. They got Yunho; we were his only hope, and we barely made it. I wanted to shield you, Mingi. I didn't want you to know." 

"Why?" Mingi whispers. 

Hongjoong is silent. 

"Why didn't you tell me? Why couldn't you have just explained? I was so confused, Hongjoong- I still am. Am I too weak? Too stupid? Useless? Why didn't you want me to know?" 

His voice is rising, threatening to crack, as though he's about to cry. Hongjoong's heart aches. 

"I didn't want to corrupt you," he admits. 

"Corrupt me?" 

"You're not like us, Mingi." Hongjoong opens his eyes. "You're innocent. You don't have the scars we have, the trauma we have, the sufferings we carry. You haven't been ruined. You're still... hopeful, and I just... I couldn't bear to damage that." 

Mingi looks at him in silence.

He doesn't cry. Instead, he walks slowly forward and sinks into the chair next to Hongjoong, leaning his head against him. Hongjoong strokes his hair slowly with one hand, beckoning Yunho with the other. Yunho wraps Hongjoong in a hug, and he feels the younger man's tears, cold against his skin. 

"I'm sorry," he whispers.

They're silent, but the way they lean just a little closer against him says a thousand times more than any words.


	10. treasure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so... another book comes to an end [my favorite in the series so far?]

He curses every inch of the city as he struggles with his chains. 

Fuck Choi Jongho. Him and his stupid strength, his stupid ideas. It's his fault. His and his whole team's. 

"Ugh," he hisses, attempting to kick the wall. His chains hold him back, and it's infuriating. 

"Relax," comes a bored voice from outside his cell. "Cussing out my brother won't help anybody." 

"Fuck you," he growls. 

"Language." 

"Fuck you, Choi Yerim. You and your stupid brother. I hope you rot." 

"Everyone will someday," his jailor says midly. "And I told you to call me Choerry." 

"No." 

"Maybe I'll kill you." 

He rolls his eyes. "I'm already dead, Yerim." 

"It's Choerry. Should I call Seonghwa?" 

His breath hitches. He forces himself to stay calm. "Too weak to take me yourself? I'm sorry you're so bad at fighting that you have to call your necromancer friend to help you out of tough situations." 

"This isn't a tough situation," Choerry groans. "It's just you being a dumbass and refusing to call me by the name I like." 

"Language," he mocks. 

"Hm." Choerry stands, small but intimidating, dressed head to foot in black. "You are incredibly boring, Min Youngjo. So..." she pronounces the next word extra clearly... "...deathly boring." 

He closes his eyes in disgust. 

...

The cold feeling has settled over Hongjoong again. 

He remembers it clearly from when he yelled at Seonghwa. A chilly weight that settles in his gut, just noticeable enough to be uncomfortable. He shivers. It can't mean anything good. 

They're preparing for their next mission against bluesky- "That is the stupidest fucking name," San has observed repeatedly- while gathered in the kitchen, an oddly domestic scene for such a terrifying situation. 

"Are you okay?" 

Seonghwa's voice is soft and so warm that it melts the chill just a little. "Yeah, I'm ok. Actually...." Hongjoong pauses. "Remember when I... um, yelled at you, and I said I had a cold feeling? It's back." 

He gets the uncanny feeling that someone is watching him. 

"A cold feeling..." Seonghwa frowns. "A weight in your gut? Slightly painful, though barely there? And... icy." 

Hongjoong's jaw drops. "Yes. That's exactly it." 

"For years," Seonghwa manages. "At the asylum. I felt it too." 

"That's why," Hongjoong whispers. 

"Why what? Why I was so horrible to you?" 

"Why you forgave me so fast. We left the asylum, the chill vanished, and for the first time in so many years you were.... you." 

He wonders how he didn't guess it sooner. 

Seonghwa looks at him, and his haunted eyes look a little less sorrowful. He kisses him. 

And oh, Hongjoong is every bit as infatuated as he was all those years ago, on the run from basically everyone, watching Seonghwa shine under the starlight and hearing his gentle voice telling secrets he had never told anyone else. 

"I love you," he whispers. The cold feeling clenches at his insides. 

"I love you too." 

It's a knife to his brain. 

Hongjoong trips and falls back against the table. Seonghwa let's out a shriek. 

"Are you all right? Oh my gods, what happened?" 

"The cold-" Hongjoong gasps. "It's so cold, Seonghwa- it hurts. Gods above, it hurts." 

A voice cuts through the air- flat and icy, but horribly familiar.

"Welcome to my fucking life." 

Hongjoong watches Seonghwa raise his head in shock. He watches San drop the cup he's holding, not even noticing when it shatters. He watches Mingi stumble and fall against Wooyoung, pushing them both over onto the counter. He watches Yunho's eyes go wide with confusion and horror. 

He watches Yeosang look on sadly, regretful but not startled in the least. 

And he watches Choi Jongho, gaze uncharacteristically hard, a web of dark ink-like patterns spreading slowly across his face, looking at him with a mix of pain and disgust in his expression. 

"No," Seonghwa whispers. "Gods in the heavens, no." 

"What happened to you?" Wooyoung manages. 

Seonghwa raises his head slowly. His eyes are sad. "This," he says, and he sounds so lost, so broken- "is what happens when a necromancer is interrupted while sucking a soul away." He takes a step closer, not even flinching when Jongho snarls at him. "I know you're still there, Choi Jongho. I know you aren't gone completely. You're stronger than that." 

"What the hell," Hongjoong hears San murmer. 

Seonghwa lifts his hand hesitantly. 

And Jongho strikes out- no, not Jongho, but the creature wearing his face; a wave off darkness collides with Seonghwa, and he flies backward, slumping in a heap in the floor. 

When Hongjoong's eyes clear of tears, the corrupt Jongho is gone. 

And he cries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cLiFfHaNgEr


End file.
